Dark Moments: Erza
by whosent
Summary: Erza moments, some fictitous, some interpretations of parts of the storyline. Most non-explicit, but suggestive of dark themes. Some contain violence. T for now...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, nor any of its concepts, characters, or ideas.**

Author's note: I'm not sure how many people read these sorts of fan-fiction. The more adult, dark, a little OOC, torturous ones. This is set during Erza's capture on the tower of heaven, before she escaped. I'm thinking it'll be a one-off, or I might make a series of Erza in compromised positions; I think they explore her humanity. And allow me to vent. T for now, depending on how dark I'm thinking in the future. If you read this, please comment; I'd like to hear your thoughts. But if you don't want to read evil or naughty fics, close this window now and save me your whining.

**Jel'al Moment 1: Imprisoned**

Erza hung from her restraints, the thick ropes binding her magic powers as surely as they bound her aching wrists. Her shoulders ached from their strained position. She could feel the ropes digging into her, cutting at soft flesh. She shifted her weight, trying to reduce the pain, and couldn't hold back a small gasp. The puff of air was visible in the cool of the stone room, the steam white contrasting against the dirty grey of the walls. She shivered, the racking of her frame yanking her arms against the ropes and increasing the hurt.

"Feeling alright?" The smooth tenor voice filled the room, harnessing the acoustics in such a way that it seemed to come from everywhere. Erza jerked her head around. He was leaning against the wall in the shadows off to her left side. His hair cast his face into darkness, shielding his face but for his thin lips, which curved into a mocking smile. He straightened an walked out to face her. "You've been hanging there for a long time now." He made a show of looking around as he walked. "You wouldn't know, though, without windows." He stopped a metre from her and smoothed down his shirt. "Two, three days?" he shrugged, and let out a small laugh. "I wasn't paying attention." Erza wondered how long he'd been there, staring at her. She wondered if he was here to take her for the sacrifice, whether it was time for her to die. She twisted her neck to stretch a crick, and remained silent. He would get around to his intentions when he was ready, and nothing she could say would change that. "I can see you thinking, Erza. My," he laughed again, "You haven't changed a bit. Every thought plain on your face. I would've thought you'd be better at lying. Don't people ever ask you about your past?" Erza ignored him, looking over his shoulder to see if any of his lackeys had accompanied him. None of her other former friends were present. It didn't seem like he was here to take her away. Unless he was simply taking his time; but that wasn't like Jel'al. He like to play games, and he liked to see the pieces moving. A trapped pawn wasn't any use. She guessed he must be here to test the waters, to play with one of his pieces before he sacrificed it for the checkmate. She avoided his eyes, knowing he was studying her face. She watched his feet as he stepped forward and lightly stroked the back of his hand down her cheek. "I think about you, Erza," he murmured. "I thought about you every day after I exiled you." His hand halted on her face to cup her chin, and he dragged a thumb across her lower lip. "Every night..."

He was so close, his nose nearly touching hers. She could feel his hot breath against her lips, feel a blush crawling up her cheeks. Her lips felt very dry all of a sudden. Her tongue darted out to moisten them as she held her breath, waiting for Jel'al's next move. He tilted his chin slightly. Their noses rubbed against one another, and the blush on her cheeks deepened. He was too close. She unintentionally stepped back, the unexpected movement causing the aching muscles of her arms to spasm as they were stretched uncomfortably. She grimaced, a hiss escaping between gritted teeth.

This time, Jel'al's laughter was loud and full, echoing over the stonework. Erza's skin rose in goose-bumps as the sound pervaded the air. The cruel tones made her feel exposed. She wished she had her armour. It might've given her some kind of protection to the piercing darts of his malice. He grabbed one of her bound wrists and squeezed, pulling down on it so the cords cut deep. Erza bit her lip hard, blood welling from the wound. She watched Jel'al as his eyes followed the welling blood. With a finger he traced the path it would follow down her chin. He wrenched at her wrist again. A tear escaped the corner of her eye and she was forced to bite deeper into her sore lip. Blood flowed faster now, forming a small rivulet that ran down her neck and across the contours of her collar bone to fall into the crease of her breasts and disappear beneath her dress. Jel'al rose his gaze to meet Erza's eyes. When she tried to look away he carefully twisted her head back to him, his fingers sinking into her cheeks as he held her in place. He bent downwards, looking at her face from underneath his brows, a wicked grin showing pearly white teeth. Realising his intentions, she jerked back, releasing a yowl of pain for her sore arms. In response, his arms came around her waist, holding her still. She fought against his hold, trying to ignore the stabbing pain of her wrists and shoulders that was making her face pale. After several quick moments, the pain overcame her, and she was forced to stop struggling. It was all she could do to remain conscious. Jel'al's embrace held her upright. A palm entwining with her scarlet hair tilted her face towards his. She glared blearily at him through a haze of agony. She stubbornly set her chin. No matter what happened, she would not speak to him. Nothing she could say would help her, now, and would if anything further incite Jel'al's madness. Better to keep quiet, and not waste her breath. His grin grew more menacing as he found her at his mercy.

"Erza." He laughed an evil laugh. "I hear they call you 'Titania', now. Queen of the fairies..." He bent his head to her chest once more, his arms tightening about her as she stiffened. "I wonder what they'd think, to see you with your wings cut off." His tongue lapped at the thin trail of blood in between her breasts, his heavy breathing warming her belly. His light stubble scratched against the supple skin. Chills spread over her, and she felt her breathing hitch. Her arms shook uncontrollably, causing the cords to creak against one another. All of her weak thrashes were quickly combated by his strong arms. Jel'al rose his tongue up her neck, following the blood trail that led to her swollen lip. Erza felt her hair pulling against his hand as he rose her chin up to gain access to the soft skin of her neck. Her lips parted as he sank his teeth harshly into her. He drew back and looked at her, pulling her hair roughly to make her look back at him. His eyes drew to her parted lips and he lowered his own to them, gently nibbling on her swollen lower lip, sucking at the weeping wound. The pain drew a sigh from her, and he moved his lips to capture it, sinking into a deep kiss. His tongue pushed against her own, tasting the soft, moist flesh. Angrily, Erza sank her teeth into his tongue, tasting his blood. The sudden pain caused him to jerk back from her, a scowl on his face. She sagged in the ropes without his support, screaming as they filled her with agony. He watched her, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with a delicate finger. "That wasn't very nice, Erza." Without warning, he violently kicked her in the ribs, throwing her harder against her tethers. She panted, almost blind with pain. He watched her writhe for a time, his arms crossed. "Well, I'll come back later. Tomorrow you die, after all." He grabbed her by the hair and lifted her to standing, laughing at her screams. He roughly kissed her once more, quickly and painfully, before forcefully throwing her down. She fainted, slumping against the restraints. He stared at her slumped form, studying the tracks of fresh blood amongst the crusting of old. Her mouth hung open a little, leaking a thin trail of blood down her chin. A droplet fell to the floor as he watched, the sound loud in the now-silent room. He grinned and stroked her hair. "I'll be back soon, Erza. Mind your manners next time, please. You are a guest here, after all."

**End.**

Author: So, if you thought this was ok, please comment and I might post another moment, maybe from when she got shot with a cannon, or bit by the cobra, fought with laxus or the tree-dude. I'll think about it, but if you have any suggestions, make them and I'll take them into consideration. Thanks

Whosent


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, nor any of its concepts, characters, or ideas.**

Author's note: This one is set during Erza's battle with Master Jose of Phantom. Sorry they aren't in chronological order, but I'm writing them as I think of them. Also, this one's a fair bit longer than the first, but I've kept it as a single chapter, because otherwise it'll get complicated. Also, it's not quite so... cruel? as the first chapter? There is more violence, but that's about all for this one. Major spoilers for the Phanto guild arc, so if you haven't read/seen that one, you might want to first. Or just enjoy my writing. If you read this, please comment; I'd like to hear your thoughts. But if you don't want to read evil or naughty fics, close this window now and save me your whining.

**Dark moments: Chapter 2- Phantom Guild**

Erza's body ached more than it had since she had escaped her early imprisonment in the Tower of Heaven. It had been foolish, to jump before the Jupiter beam. She had nearly died. She could feel it in her bones, the way her life had been drained away when her shield had been destroyed. Her armour had done little to protect her. Just as it was hardly assisting now.

She dodged a deadly shadow, the frozen edges clipping her side as she barely avoided the trailing ends. The effort almost threw her off balance, but she managed to stay upright as she sidestepped another thrashing shadow. She leapt forward with some of her fading strength and swung at Master Jose, making him pause in his attack and giving her brief respite.

Erza hadn't planned on joining this fight at all. Defeating the mage from element four should have been her only contribution, and truly she had been lucky the mage had been an easy conquest. Aria of the Heavens. She could hardly believe the Master had been defeated by one so simple. Natsu too. She guessed her unique abilities, so focussed on battle as they were, had helped her. The man had little soldier sense. Her anger had helped her too, certainly; perhaps her view on the battle was skewed by her inability to think clearly; she couldn't remember the words she had said during the fight. And after that her muscles had given out, and she had barely been able to keep her eyes open. She had focussed her hopes on Natsu, using his face to keep awake.

She made herself talk to him, convince him he had the strength to win. She knew the hope was slim; though Natsu certainly had the raw power, it would be many years before he could match Jose's training. Still, the others would be coming. She had blearily watched him work himself into a rage, and prayed for his luck and courage to remain steadfast. When he left, Erza had crawled to a corner, nursing her wounds. She had spent several moments gathering herself with deep breaths, trying to replenish her energy, when friends arrived. She had known they would be shocked to see her there, but there had been no way she would let the one who had harmed the Master go unpunished. Grey, Mira-Jane and Elfman had worried for her, but she didn't care. As soon as she saw them she had felt safer and stronger. With so many good people, they had to prevail, or the world wouldn't be worth living in.

She was a little ashamed that they came upon her before she could stand, though; her pride was often all that kept her standing. At least her armour had been intact.

A sudden pain in her side pierced the bubble of oblivion that was growing in her head and her conditioned body reacted twisting out of the way. They traded blows, neither landing a hit on another. Jose's mad chuckling filled the air with menace as much as his Shadows filled it with darkness.

Then Jose had come. Grimly she remembered the first touches of his putrid presence, like death itself was on the wind. It saturated each breath and chilled anyone with half a heart to the soul. Erza drew a deep breath and noticed that now she was used to the scent of death. She wondered how long they had been fighting like this.

Her hasty friends had rushed Master Jose blindly diving to their doom. He had swept them before him like ants. Mira had been taken down as she stood in panic for her brother. That was when Erza had forced herself to lunge at Jose, though he had easily blocked her first strikes. The more she fought, she caught a rhythm, and danced her pain away with the song of swords.

Thinking of her friends, Erza momentarily lost concentration, stumbling slightly as her eyes searched to see if they lived. Cold suddenly spread from her wrist, spreading a terrible ache through her, and she glanced down to see Jose's hand on her sword arm. She forced herself to remain calm, and waited for his move. He wrenched his arm back and threw her towards the ground. She went with the movement, caught in her dance, and easily landed several metres away. She stood slowly, and traced her mind along her body with the movement, identifying and accepting each piece of pain in her flesh. They faced each other from across the ruined hall of the Phantom Guild, the only sound the crumbling of stone bricks as they shattered upon contact with the ground. Erza gathered herself, feeling the warmth of the outside as a breeze blew into the hall and washed some of Jose's stench away. She took a deep breath of the purer air, and readied herself.

"You." Jose said, studying her. Erza raised her sword, prepared for his next move. He stood with his arms by his sides and looked thoughtful. "I'm pretty sure you took a direct hit from Jupiter. How is it you can stand?" His deep, gravelly voice sounded honestly curious, so she deigned to answer.

"My friends strengthen my heart!" she said, proudly saluting the statement, and shifting her sword grip to increase the power of a strike. "For those that I love, I'd throw away this body."

An evil grin spread across Jose's face. A smile should not be able to darken a face like that, Erza thought. He spoke in a mockingly contemplative voice that rose the hairs on her arms.

"Strong, courageous, beautiful..." his grin spread to widen his eyes, "It will be such a pleasure to destroy you, girl!" Erza felt a strange pity for the man, for someone so blind to the good things in life that he would wipe them from the world so he could never see them. Still, there was no denying his evil. They reengaged in battle.

His shadows stretched out to claim her, and she dodged. She dodged, and she dodged again. Erza tried to look for an opening, for a weakness, but she could see none. She twirled around him with the grace of a ballerina and the speed of a cheetah, yet she could find no break or end to his shadows. After what seemed a lifetime, they broke off, returning to positions apart. Erza shook from head to toe. The grasp on her sword was sticky with sweat and grime, coated in painful marble splinters it had gathered from the disintegrating roof. She refused to wipe her hands, though; she stared vigilantly at Jose, waiting for him to begin again. She didn't know how she could beat him, or how she would even go about beginning to try. It was all that she could do to avoid him, and stay on her feet.

Jose looked well enough, she thought enviously. Of course, he hadn't been shot by a magic cannon that could level an entire building. She shook off those negative thoughts. He did seem to be tiring; she noted that his own skin was grimy where the dust had mixed with sweat, and the heaviness of the lines beneath his eyes. Still, there was no way she could keep this up.

Screams from the outside drew both of their attention, and the abate in their battle lengthened. They silently looked about themselves as the hall began to crumble faster, dust spreading in concealing clouds from the bases of waterfalls of stone. Erza listened as the screams turned to cheers, and turned to look at Jose to find him already gazing at her, all traces of laughter gone from his eyes, though he smiled still. She felt satisfaction well in her chest, and love of her friends and their bravery. She was right to have trusted in them.

"Our dragons have run quite amuck," Jose said, and Erza felt her stomach tighten at the seething madness behind the words. His smile had turned to a sneer of contemptuous displeasure, and he closed his eyes. Erza wondered whether he was trying to shut out the damage around him, to forget that his guild had failed. Perhaps he was simply laughing at the weakness of the others.

Erza realised she was panting. She wondered again how long they had been fighting. It felt like she had never existed elsewhere, like this fight was where she was born and where, soon, she would die.

The others hadn't awoken yet. Erza looked to them, using their need to rebuild her deteriorating spirit. She forced herself to string some words together between gasps, knowing they had the potential to anger Jose, and hopefully cause him to overreact and give her an opening.

"It doesn't seem like you accounted for Natsu's battle strength." She felt pride for her friend and guild spread strength into her, and pointed her sword readily at Jose. "He is just as powerful than I, if not more so!" Not an entire lie, after all; Natsu did have the potential to be as strong as she. Perhaps the statement would offset Jose. Her hopes were dashed as he grunted unbelievingly.

"Enough with the modesty, Titania Erza. Your magical power is indeed amazing." His tone rose as though he himself didn't accept his words. "I have never met a wizard who could hold out against me for so long. If you hadn't taken damage from Jupiter, I suspect we may have been a better match." The ludicrousness of that statement almost made Erza collapse, and she forced back an incredulous laugh. A better match? She wondered if he even realised how much Jupiter had taken from her. Of course they would have been better matched. She wasn't confident enough in her abilities to say she could have won, still, but the fight would have been much closer than it looked to be.

Jose gestured to the side and looked up at her from under angry brows. He looked unimpressed, and she deemed it an improvement over his manic smile, though the deep loathing in his voice chilled the blood in her veins. Erza felt her eyes tighten in responsive anger to his next words. "I can't stand Makarov having a wizard this powerful in his or any other guild." Jose rose a fist towards her, and Erza readied herself. Still, she was somewhat off guard when all he did was flick out his finger to point at her. She didn't recognise the attack. The condensed ball of magic flew from the finger at an incredible speed and hit her right in the forehead, long before her reflexes rose her sword in defence. She flew back into the wall, the power of the magic driving her several centimetres into the stone brickwork, creating an Erza-sized crater and numerous piles of stones. Erza gasped with the new pain that assaulted her and struggled to breathe, to face Jose and defend his next attack. She felt utterly naked, completely defenceless. It was as though he had snuck up behind her and thrown her in the deep end. She was stuck in quicksand, and she couldn't get out.

Jose continued speaking as he shot out more condensed power from each of his other fingers. "Do you understand why I didn't finish Makarov off before?" he asked, as she leapt up from her personal crater to dodge, running almost entirely on her own will, her body broken and magic nearly gone. Still, she missed his attacks and jumped up to slice him. He easily defende, blasting upwards at her as he answered his own question. "Despair."

Erza twisted in the air and landed behind him, to jump again as he followed her and proceeded to bombard her. She did her best to keep her mind clear, successfully evading Jose as he clarified his answer. "It was to put him into despair." Against her will, Erza found herself recalling that that had indeed been Fairy Tail's initial reaction. She shook herself and focussed again on Jose, though he seemed caught up in the brilliance of his own plans. "When he wakes up and sees his beloved guild and his beloved guild members destroyed...How will he feel?" He chuckled darkly as he continued."Crestfallen, I'm sure." Erza stood stock still as his eyes locked onto hers. She found it extremely difficult to look away. "I'll destroy that man with despair and sadness never-ending. I will not let him rest! He'll suffer, and suffer, and suffer some more... 'til the end of his days..." He was whispering hoarsely, and Erza knew that even though he was looking directly at her, the benefit of the words was for himself, to refocus upon his goal. They angered her, though, and that was bad. Angry people didn't think clearly, and she was not strong enough to win blinded. Unfortunately, her strength of will came an instant too late. She snapped, lunging wildly at him.

"You villain!" she felt herself cry, though inside all of her wisdom and experience screamed at her to stop and think. As she had feared, Jose easily dodged, and rashness had left her vulnerable.

"Phantom Lord was always the number one guild." Erza felt frigid fear ice over her as his voice sounded from behind her. "We had the most powerful magic, the most talented people, and the most money in the country. But in these past few years Fairy Tail has suddenly gotten powerful." He glared at her as though she was the sole source of his anger. "Erza, Laxus, Mystogan... Those namew were heard even in our city, and rumours of Salamander spread throughout the country. And at some point, suddenly Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail became the _two_ signature guilds of this country." He laughed lividly and then hissed in a mad voice as he narrowed his eye at her, glaring down at her from the very corner in hatred. "I don't like it. Especially when your guild was once crappy and weak!"

Erza was losing it. The decline of her magic was mixing with the pain and Jose's hateful words, and the whole thing was mashed with the erratic stones that fell upon her and the rumbling background noise of the Phantom Lord guild hall falling apart. Again it was as though she lost control of her body, the muscles ceasing their response to logic and following the anger in her heart.

"Silence!" she yelled as she stabbed towards him. His easy evasion only made her more angry. "Are you saying you started this war all because of some petty jealousy?"

"Jealousy?" he laughed, "of course not! I wanted to show everyone our superiority!"

Erza glowered hatefully at him, so full of fury her tongue stumbled as it tried to express it. "What a... What a worthless reason." She lunged again in a hopeless rage. He toyed with her. She loathed herself for her weakness; she knew it was foolish to give in to feelings. Still, she was too exhausted to control herself. She had already lost. It was plain on his face and in her mind, but her body and heart would not stop fighting. Her slashes didn't even nearly connect. She let loose a final flurry, deeling the last vestiges of magic and energy fade from her, and he leapt back out of reach before sweeping the sword from her hand with a wave and then scooping her up in his shadow. The dark, evil tendrils pulsed against her, squeezing tight, and she yelled as they released a tide of burning sparks into her. She was entirely at his mercy.

"I've long had a distaste for your guild, so the trigger to go to war was but a trifle." He sounded vaguely amused. "A request to return the first daughter of the Heartfilia Konzern." He zapped Erza again, smiling as she struggled in agony. The mention of Lucy made Erza wonder what had happened to the girl. Had she escaped? Jose continued, though ERza found it difficult to follow, so absorbed in her pain. "A daughter of one of the richest families in the country, in Fairy Tail? How big must you get before you're satisfied?" Again he increased the energy he sent into her and she screamed, unable to control herself. " I you bastards can use the heartfilia's money as you wish, there's no mistaking that you could gain power greater than ours. That, I cannot allow." This time, when he increased the energy, Erza knew she screamed again, but his last words had amused her enough for her to barely notice. She grinned, and was satisfied when he looked shocked.

"Making such a big deal about who's on top... It's pitiful." Erza snickered. "But it's your lack of a competent Intelligence that's laughable." Jose drew back doubtfully.

"What?"

"Lucy ran away from home. You think she uses her family's money?" Erza glared at Jose. "She lives in a rented house for 70,000 jewel a month! She does jobs and fights, together with us. We laugh together, cry together...She's a wizard like any other in the guild." Erza gritted her teeth at the insanity. "A trigger for war?" she growled. "The daughter of the Hertfilia family?" Erza shook her head violently. "As a flower cannot choose the place it blooms, neither can a child choose their parents." Erza struggled against the power that bound her. "A fiend like you knows nothing of Lucy's tears! You cannot know her!"

Jose drew back, but the look on his face was not as Erza had expected. He didn't seem disappointed, or even truly surprised. "I'll learn soon enough," He said.

Erza stopped struggling in shock. Jose grinned at her obvious surprise. "Do you seriously think I'd just hand her over to her father? If she doesn't have any money, I'll keep her... and I'll get the entire Heartfilia fortune!" Erza felt nauseated from the craziness in Jose's voice, and the manic expression upon his face. She could tell he meant every word. She thought of Lucy, all alone and brokedn, holed up with this evil madman, and struggled anew.

"Why, you..." She wrenched against the power, to no avail.

"Don't struggle," Jose said snidely. He raised palms saturated with dark magics. "It'll just cause you to suffer more." From each of his hands rose a skeletal creature of shadows, and they roared at Erza. Their gaping jaws then began to suck at the air before her, and Erza felt something unravelling deep within her, The strange feeling was so wrong, so foul, that Erza felt as though another set of nerves had been added to her body, to double the excruciating pain she felt. It was as though her very soul was being stolen. She shrieked as the beasts sucked at her stealing her life-force. Jose seemed entertained, his face lighting up at her torment. He spread his arms wider, and his grin grew.

"Now, " he slowly began, "shall we start the horror show? Let's show how you're doing to the rest of Fairy Tail." Jose walked up beneath her and laid a hand on her leg. She barely felt it through her pain. She could hardly believe she was still conscious.

" Titania, so full of pride..." He murmured hoarsely, sliding the palm down her leg gently. Despite her predicament, Jose's touch still managed to send chills down Erza's spine. "If they see your pitiful state, the rest of the trash are sure to give up."

Erza struggled to speak. "Does your wretchedness know no bounds?"

Jose clenched a fist, and one of the shadow beasts twirled an arm about her, its gentle caress searing into her like acid. It slavered before her like a rabid beast, and she drew back within her prison as it's tongue tasted the air before her. Jose laughed. "You'll be looking pretty wretched yourself in a moment."

As the beast encircled her, its touch burning through the shattered remains of her armour, and as Jose began to prepare a magical seeing screen, Erza had a single, strangely clear thought. It consumed her, filling every void of her that was yet to be filled with pain or fire. She focussed on it, testing its accuracy, and then decide it was her final option. _If I'm a liability to the guild, then..._

Erza's eyes swept to the corners and caught on her sword, lying forgotten towards her far right. Focussed on her ultimatum, she found herself capable of coaxing the tiny, almost non-existent thread of her final magic out into reach. She twined it deep within her, protecting it from the shadow beast's pervasive stroking with her thoughts. She cast the end of the thread to the sword, and felt it connect easily. The sword was an old friend. Old friends did like to reconnect, from time to time. Old friends sometimes die together.

Erza carefully tugged the thin strand and her sword rose. She closed her eyes and felt the sword's position. She called to it, welcoming it home. She regretted that she must die, and that her sword would likely shatter in the killing of her. She regretted, too, that she had not been able to save her friends, and that she would not see the master, or her old friends again. She did not regret sacrificing herself for her friends' peace of mind, though. Dying out of sight, so her friends could mourn her still remembering her as strong and proud was far better than leaving them with the image of her broken, mindless wreck of a body. She couldn't do that to them. Erza steadied herself and made a final prayer to whatever power existed in the heavens. _Now it's up to you, Natsu..._

And with that, she yanked hard on her sword and waited for oblivion.

Author's note: This ending was for those of you who haven't seen/read this arc yet... see, I didn't tell you how it ended! Otherwise, this one almost exactly followed the storyline. Sorry, kind of boring, but It is one of Erza's major scenes, and she is my favorite character. Please Reveiw, and like I said in chapter 1, feel free to mention parts you would like me to put down in words, or ideas for more fictitious works between your favorite Erza pairings (though I write straight fanfictions much better than I could write slash, probably because I have no experience in that area, sorry; I am game for just about any straight pairing, though, much easier to write.)

Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

ERZA VS AZUMA

Authors Note:

Hey, sorry about the wait. I had exams, then I was away without net for a few weeks, then my computer broke, etc, etc.

Anyways, here's the next one. It's a bit slow, and not extremely graphic, but that is to come. This one is going to last a couple more chapters; I never realized how large of a scene it was until I watched all of the bits to write it accurately. Anyway, there's going to be another wait before the next chapter, but then I'll release a whole bunch all at once :) I already have the end written, just a middle chapter I haven't got to yet. After this one, I'll probably do Erza's fight with cobra and the quick dude, when she gets bitten. I realize that scene was short, but I always did think it was funny how it took (effectively) 3 bad dudes (cobra, his giant cobra, and the quick guy) to take down Erza, while there were two good guys to every other bad guy. And they still had a little trouble, till she went and got herself bitten. So, I think it'll be fun to write.

Cheers, guys, and I hope you enjoy this next installment in the Erza moments series.

Chapter one

"Wendy! Where are you?"

Erza was all alone and walking through dense forest at the base of Tenrou, the giant tree rising from the middle of the island. High roots snaked all round, further diminishing the light that strained through overcast skies and writhing fog. There was a chill in the air, the cold, dry atmosphere that seemed to possess intent, silently screaming of something to come. The world felt like it was charged. Erza was getting worried. She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen, or was happening. She had covered a lot of ground since leaving Juvia at the river, but she had come across no one. She was beginning to wonder if she had been left behind. Or, if she was too late...

"Erza Scarlet, I presume," A deep tenor echoed among the twisting roots. Erza stopped dead in her tracks, ready to ex-quip if necessary.

"Who's there?" Erza look around, trying to identify the source.

Erza spun as a movement caught her eye; melting down from a thick tree branch was a shadowed figure, eyes glinting red in the gloom. He had wavy brown hair that stuck up neatly in all directions, and a tattooed line ran down from his left eyebrow to the middle of his cheek. He wore only pants, muscles starkly defined by the darkness. He had his arms crossed over a broad chest, and was hanging upside down from the waist, the rest of him melding seamlessly into the woody branch.

He eyed her, as though she were some finery he might like to purchase.

"We meet at last. The true warrior, Titania." He stared, seemingly committing every detail to memory. Erza shuffled, waiting for him to continue. He did, almost as an afterthought.

"By the way, I... _took care_ of that little girl." Erza's heart skipped a beat.

"_What _did you say?"

She was interrupted by a sudden thunder in the air, a trembling of the ground that seemed to call to the skies, resulting in a sudden downpour of rain. Erza felt uneasy, a tightness in her gut as she looked around to see branches and leaves tumbling down about them to splat against the muddy ground.

"This is..." Erza began quietly. This was something huge. The man slipped entirely from the tree to land softly on his feet, taking in the flocks of birds dispersing above their heads.

"So Blue Note's out..." He muttered. Erza looked at him in cautious question.

"This war is over," he said, looking directly in her eyes. "At the end, no life will be left on this island." Erza didn't know what to say. Whatever the trouble was, it had yet to become a danger to her. She returned to their previous conversation.

"You took out Wendy?!" Wendy had been guarded. Mest, Elfman, Mirajane; where had they been?

The man continued, "And not just her alone...All of your friends are most likely being eradicated by my comrades at this very moment." He sounded so certain, so confident. It irritated her.

"Don't be ridiculous," Erza began, sharply swiping her arm adown, "We have people like Natsu and Mirajane on our side. That's not possible." It wasn't . Fairy Tail was strong. They wouldn't lie back and be beaten on their own soil. The man was still eyeing her. It was making her uncomfortable.

"I know nothing of a mage called 'Natsu'..." he smirked, "But if it's the demon, Mirajane, you're talking about, I've already defeated her."

Erza didn't think so. Mirajane wasn't easy to beat. Some of what she thought must have shown on her face. He raised an eyebrow.

"You think I'm lying?"

Erza shrugged noncommittally. "I'll determine with my own eyes whether you're telling the truth or not." Erza Requipped from her swim suit into her armour. She was a little angry about exposing her suits to this kind of whether; rust was hard to remove. The man still watched her. Erza felt her skin crawl when he smiled. There was something off about it. It was a little like that of a hunter as he sighter a deer. She didn't like him smiling that way at her.

"I must be in luck. The demon Mirajane _and _Titania Erza Scarlet. I'll have destroyed the both of you with my own hands!"

Abruptly, he clenched his hands into fists and threw himself at her.

Erza met him mid air, ex-quipping into her black wing armour to fly back with the power given by the clash of her sword against his block. She then ex-quipped again, slashing duel swords together to send a powerful strike of pressure at him.

She stumbled a little as he leapt back and up, to land surefooted upon a tree branch. Erza straightened and rose her weapon higher, expecting another attack. Erza frowned as he gave a chuckle, crossing his arms as he watched her.

"What's so funny?" Erza asked between gritted teeth.

"I've been waiting for someone strong like you," he smiled at her, his teeth sharp and white against his tanned skin. "This will be fun. I've heard a lot about your bravery and valour," he said. "We're very much alike. Fighting is everything to people like us." He leant his head down in acknowledgment to her. "I fight in the pursuit of those who are strong."

So now he wanted to talk. Erza reequipped back into her normal armour; the black wing costume was hard to wear, and would waste her energy in the brief peace. His words made her frown again, and she shook her head. He couldn't compare them, at least not in their motives for fighting.

"Sorry, but I don't agree. I don't care much about strong people."

The man looked disbelievingly sceptical. "That's not true. If you didn't care, you wouldn't have that kind of strength."

Erza pitied him for his small minded view. "All I need is the power to be able to protect my comrades. So long as I can have the strength to do that, I don't care if I'm weaker than everyone in the world."

The man frowned in surprised disbelief at her reason. Erza controlled her anger and thought over her remark, smiling a small smile. "I'm contradicting myself, aren't I..."

The man straightened his stance to peer at her. His voice was strangely regretful. "You're a strange one. I would've liked to be able to fight you fair and square."

Erza stiffened in shock and quickly checked her surroundings, expecting that she had been surrounded by enemies while he distracted her. Her survey brought no evidence of an ambush. Erza looked in careful askance to the man, who was studying her reaction. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He turned from her to stand at right angles , eyes seeming to see something that she could not view. "It means were out of time."

At his words, the ground began to move underneath them, the whole world seeming to vibrate violently. Erza snapped into a light crouch, muscles tensed for whatever trap he had planned. Sudden movement caught her gaze; something was sneaking up behind her. Yet even as she turned to deal with it, more movements occurred all about her; to the front, over her head, spinning on either side of her.

"What the-?" Erza looked about her, head moving in quick jerks as she tried to follow the multitude of huge branches and vines that had suddenly taken on life of their own. The man had a dreamy grin pasted on his face, and he rose his arms up to encompass the wild wilderness.

"My magic is dendrologic;" he began, his voice husky. " It's the magic of trees, the lost magic, 'Great Tree Arc'." He crossed his muscular arms over his stomach, face twisting in concentration as he prepared. Erza readied her weapon once more, uneasy about this new magic. He abruptly swung his arms back out, and from the wave of his arms billowed a shroud of windy dust which buffeted Erza, making her squeeze her eyes shut against the grit. Her hair billowed upwards in the gust, landing back in a wind-tossed mess.

The man smiled. "These explosions are created by condensing the magic of the earth into the fruit of these trees; but the true power of this magic is rooted in the earth." The shaking of the world got worse. "It controls all the magic power stored within the earth itself."

"Controls the magic power within the Earth?!" Erza muttered, then stumbled ungallantly as heavy, hard roots ripped out of the ground as easy as if it were crepe paper. A pain spread through her knee, which she had used to break her fall;, she winced and grabbed a nearby branch to steady herself and reduce the weight on her limb. She quickly returned her gaze to the tanned man, to see his feet melt into the branch.

"I only had one reason for coming to this island before the others. It was to take control of the magic power of this island," his voice came, seemingly from all directions at once. Erza breathed deeply to calm her racing heart, and focussed her attention on him.

"What are you saying?" she said, panic beginning to build inside her. There was something wrong. Something _felt_ wrong.

Her eyes widened as vines and branches began to wrap around the man, coiling about his arms like a python about the neck of its prey. The world seemed to be falling apart around them, an utter chaos of writhing flora.

The man sounded remorseful as he said, "These are not my intentions or desires. It was an order, so I had no choice." The world stopped shaking, and the chaos around them diminished.

The panic welling in Erza threatened to burst. She clenched her hands, squeezing to release some of her body's tension. She struggled to get the words out, anxiety over what could be happening to her friends making her tongue feel thick.

"W-what did you do, you bastard?" she said as she carefully stood in the calm. She was almost afraid to hear the answer.

Then the world burst apart.

There was a loud thud that Erza first thought to be an explosion; the magnitude of the noise was deafening. The world was once more anarchy. Branches and debris dropped all about as animals screamed in fear, trampling away through the underbrush as though racing from a fire. Birds cawed as they flew up from the canopy. Erza fell against a tree, trying to maintain her recently gained footing. She lost sight of the man in the chaos, the air thick with a rain of leaves. Slowly, the world began to quiet down.

"Master Hades knows well of this islands power," came his voice in the growing silence.

"What?" Erza spun, eyes searching, to see his smirking lips, formed from the bark of one of the greater trees.

aHe blinked at her through his barrier of bark. "The great Tenrou tree that grows from the very centre of this island bestows divine protection upon those bearing the crest of Fairy Tail." He tilted his head, obviously amused that she did not know. "You're protected from losing your lives on this island."

It all began to make sense to Erza. "There's a special power on this island enhancing your magic."

_So that's why master chose this island for the exam, _Erza thought. She could hardly believe the idea hadn't occurred to her. It seemed so obvious, in hindsight. The test was a dangerous one, after all. Then Erza fully digested the man's words, shock and surprise raising her voice. "And you destroyed the Tenrou tree?!"

He blinked again, the slightest hint of self disapproval in his expression. "That's right. The life protection it afforded Fairy Tail is now lost. I will continue draining the magic power from all of the mages of Fairy Tail."

Erza was stunned. Such a thing was difficult to comprehend. She felt the anger breaking through again. "There's no way... You can't possibly do that...!" Her hand tightened on her sword. She deliberately loosened it. She needed to know more about what was going on. She couldn't afford to lose her temper right now.

It's already done." Again, there was disappointment laced with the satisfaction in his voice, further bewildering Erza. She was beginning to realise that he was disappointed because there would be none left to challenge him. It seemed strange, to her, that this man would be so bent upon combat. "Fairy Tail will be eradicated. But," he paused as his branches wrapped themselves about him, pulling him from within the bark and bringing him down to stand on a branch across from hers, "I'm able to control the islands magic power, and I have not taken yours."

Erza couldn't help a small gasp of surprise. So that was how it was. He wasn't happy with total defeat; he wanted to at least pretend to himself that his win had been earnt, not stolen.

He continued. "Your friends on the island are on the verge of death, and the only one that can save them is you." He arose a hand and beckoned at her condescendingly. "Do you have the power necessary to save your comrades?" He gazed in her eyes, his own sparkling with his dare. His lips pulled up in a half smile that was entirely designed to annoy.

Erza gritted her teeth, and decided to let a little of her heated fury out before she burst and lost all ability to think and plan. "Bastard..." she hissed at him. How dare he put her in such a tight place? All of her friends, on the line. She felt forced to fight. She had no problem engaging with the man, but being forced to do so made the whole idea less appealing, especially since her friend's lives were at stake. She realised her hand was once again white against her sword hilt, but this time she didn't loosen her grip.

His lips pulled back to reveal teeth in his smirk of satisfaction.

"Well then, Titania. Come show me!"


	4. Chapter 4

Erza vs. Azuma

Author's note:

So here's another one. Sorry it's going so slow. There was a lot of fighting in this fight that didn't progress the storyline much. I'm worried I'm getting repetitive. Also not as dark as any of Erza's meetings with Jel'al. Oh well; for those who know the story SPOILER ALERT we know there's some Jerza later on in Erza vs Azuma. So you can look forward to that when I get around to writing the next few chapters. Keep mailing ideas, like I said, I'm happy to take things on. If you want it to be darker, or there are aspects of my writing that don't appeal, or if you think I'm getting out of character, don't be skittish about telling me. I don't bite. It's extremely difficult to do over the internet :}

I'd also like to thank the various people who've sent me messages to continue. I wasn't sure anyone would read my story. But it seems people are. Thanks all, and I hope you continue to enjoy.

**Chapter 2**

* * *

"Well then, Titania. Come show me!"

Erza arched her head, looking up so she could meet his gaze. "You are 'Azuma', of the seven kin of purgatory." She felt sick to the stomach, but it didn't show on her face. She cleared her throat to rid it of the lump that had formed. "Why are you doing this?"

The world around was becoming eerily silent, devoid of movement but for the occasional falling leaf. Azuma's face was emotionless.

"Orders from Master Hades." He frowned slightly at having to break things down for her, perhaps doubting his prior belief in her power."I am to erase every last mage of Fairy Tail.

Erza almost laughed at his misunderstanding. "Not that. I meant why have you made it so only I can move?"

Azuma's face became blank once more. "I already told you... I want to try fighting with you when you've gotten serious, that's all."

That seemed like a great risk to Erza. He must be extremely confident in his own skills to place Hade's entire plan in jeopardy. "If what you're saying is the truth–" he glared at the slight to his honour – "then when I defeat you, you'll return everyone's power to them?"

Azuma's lips curled up in the guise of a small smile. "I promise. To be honest, I don't like doing things this way either." Erza studied him. It seemed like the closer they got to beginning this fight, the less in control he was. Emotions that seemed o have little to do with their conversation were flashing over his previously emotionless face. He seemed to almost throb with anticipation, so thick were the waves pouring from him. She narrowed her eyes at him, not sure whether to feel sympathetic towards him, unstable as he appeared; not knowing whether to pity him for not being given the chance he perceived necessary to prove his power by beating all of Fairy Tail; not sure whether to believe him at all.

Azuma didn't appear to notice Erza's glare deepen in angry sympathy, continuing quietly, almost as though talking to himself. "But of course, that's only if you win..." He stared at her and clenched his fists, his eyes widening suddenly, lighting up with bloodlust.

Erza materialised her swords, muscles clenching as she prepared for the hard fight ahead. "My comrades' lives are on the line," she murmured back at him, crouching to gather power about herself. "No matter what, I will win."

With that, Erza leapt at Azuma, irritation making her blood sear in her veins as his face brightened for the battle's beginning. She reequipped into her Heavenly Wheel Armour, feeling the familiar heavy weight of the skirt of swords about her thighs. Whipping her gauntleted forearms before her, the feathers tethered at the elbows fluttering in the wind, Erza began a Blumenblatt attack, materialising a number of swords in a giant spinning circle that she directed towards Azuma.

He twisted branches about himself for protection, so fast Erza almost missed their movement. She blinked in surprise. He smiled, smugly satisfied with her shock, and sent an attack of leafy blades back before Erza could recover. Erza quickly defended with a flurry of her two blades, cutting at the speeding leaves that came at her like bullets. She wasn't quick enough. Several got past and sliced into her. Her armour may as well have been nonexistent. As she fell, losing her footing briefly for the pain in her shoulder where the most severe blow had fallen, Azuma dramatically pointed towards Erza. Following his direction, a series of boomerang-like blades of wood launched at her. Still reeling from the last attack, Erza couldn't get her swords up fast enough, and many of the blades got through. They tore at her steel armour like real wood never could, ripping smaller plates away from the breast plate, punching holes to bruise and stab at her midsection. While she still defended the blade-boomerangs, an immense branch shaped like a massive bludgeon followed the boomerangs, catching a distracted Erza by surprise. She was knocked back several metres with the great force, and slid several more before she regained her footing upon the slippery branch, resting upon her hands and knees.

Her Heavenly Wheel armour greatly damaged, Erza reequipped back into her normal armour, breathing heavily and trying not to wince at the numerous aches and pains about her body. She groaned inwardly. If only she hadn't been so hard on Juvia. She had wasted a lot of strength to no real end, toying with the poor girl to get a bit of practice. If she had known she would be fighting an important battle a mere few hours later...

"I don't believe that's all you've got, Titania," Azuma practically purred at her, a picture of mock disappointment. " I told you to get serious."

He grinned and with a flick of a wrist sent thick roots at her, writhing threw the air like giant tentacles. Dark anger stirred in Erza. This was not a fair fight. Before her was a man with the entire magical powers of the Fairy Tail Guild, all of the life forces upon Tenrou Island, including that of the giant tree he had felled which apparently had the power to prevent uncountable numbers of people from dying, despite their injuries, as well as his own significant power. She was a single person, exhausted after a day of strenuous exercise, mental, physical and magical. Still, she could not help a swell of contempt for this man. He must think to play with her, as she had with Juvia, to attack her so openly, so obviously. Well, she was no novice. She dodged his attack without even looking at it, throwing herself over the side of the branch to land sure footedly blow. She used the energy of the fall to rebound back at Azuma, gathering herself to reequip into her Leopard Soaring Armour. Instantly, she felt her speed increase. She no longer felt fatigued, her mind becoming almost overactive to match her greater velocity.

She came at him in a flurry, briefly acknowledging his shock at her retaliation, which allowed her first blow to strike him solidly, and three following blows to land before he was gathered enough to react.

"Shes fast..." She heard him mutter as she swung again, distracting her long enough for him to throw out an arm, creating a solid wall that slammed into her, knocking her from the air. Another huge bludgeon branch followed, hammering her into a heavy trunk. The blow was so strong it shook dust from the ground to mix with the splinters and bark sprinkling from the mess.

It slowly cleared to reveal Erza standing unharmed behind her Adamantine shield. She sighed. If she hadn't reequipped the armour fast enough, she would be finished, and her friends would be dead. She had to wake up, had to get her head into this fight, before she made a stupid mistake and became solely responsible for getting all of Fairy Tail killed.

Erza lowered the shield to gage Azuma's position. He stood watching.

"The ultimate defence..." His eyes swept over her Adamantine armour, interest mixing with his surprised expression. "The armour that stood against the magical convergence weapon, Jupiter..." He studied her, then grinned in excitement, his expression bordering mad. He rose his hands to deal another attack. "Wonderful," he praised, then sent a swarm of sharp stakes at her. Erza returned herself behind the shield and stood fast. Not a single attack breached her defence. The battering her armour received was bearable, and Erza figured she might be able to wear him out with it. After all, if he couldn't hurt her, how could he win?

The blows stopped, and she glanced again towards Azuma. He appeared angry. Erza felt a glimmer of hope. She had at least succeeded in raising his ire. She must be doing something right.

She could almost hear him grinding his teeth. For all of his prior statements of wanting her to fight back, he didn't appear pleased that she was no longer retreating. "I wonder if you can shield against this!" This time when he rose his arms, an uncountable number of sharp, deadly stakes arranged themselves before him, so thick and in such great numbers that the forest darkened about them. He grinned again as he sent them at her. Erza winced as her wrists and legs began to burn, pushing against the weight of so many spears. She felt her strength waning as her earlier battle caught up to her in the static defence. If she didn't move soon, she knew she would be blown away like a moth in a winter gale. Gritting her teeth, Erza made a speedy change into her Lighting Empress armour, sending forward bolts of lightning to obliterate the remaining stakes before they could contact her unprotected body.

Azuma ceased his attack and snickered in admiration. Erza took advantage of his immobility to leap at him, staff ready, only to miss as he abruptly evaded the blow by jumping up to another branch. Erza followed him as he continued to jump up. Erza felt a brief moment of panic as he vanished from her sight in the canopy. Realising she had been tricked, Erza swiftly leapt to the side and spun, expecting him to come at her. She was correct, and felt a stab to her honour as she found him attacking her from behind. Her evasion meant that the blow he had aimed to break her nose missed and instead took her solidly in the cheek. He had put an enormous amount of power into the blow. Erza felt as though a giant demon had pummelled her. She flew back several metres to split a tree in two. Her momentum was so great she fell further away before sliding in a crumpled heap along a splintered branch. She felt as though every bone in her body was broken, though she knew from experience it was unlikely any actually were. The stress that her body had taken to cause a heavy trunk to rip apart was not small. She struggled to get a breath, her vision going red as her brain began to cry for lack of oxygen. She came to a stop, and struggled to rase herself on an arm that was one big bruise.

Azuma made his way to her through the branches, looking much too pleased with himself. "I know of that one, too. The Lightning Empress Armour." It was a little creepy, Erza thought as a small breath allowed her mind to clear a little, that he knew so much about her. He knew more about this island, about what it could do, than she did, and she was a member of Fairy Tail. IT seemed strange, for an outsider to know what intimated members of the guild didn't. She caught her breath enough to steady her arm so she could tilt her head to keep him in her vision. He made a final jump to stand on the branch above her, where he proceeded to be self satisfied. " I see now. It is indeed magic befitting your Titania status." Well, she was glad he thought so. She would have told him so, but her breath was still too short to waste on pointless sarcasm. She watched as he merged himself with a tree branch. He reappeared from the trunk of the tree to walk onto a branch at eye level with Erza, had she been standing. He was staring at her, eyes taking her in entirely. She uncomfortably began to rise further, the movements slow to ease the ache in her. Lying prone with a half naked man staring at her with eyes that seemed to see into her was not appealing to her sensibilities. He continued. "Swift ex-quipping, coupled with expert swordsmanship..."

He jumped to a tree branch nearly level with Erza's. Erza forced herself onto her knees with a grunt so she could keep him in her sight. "As expected of you. It was truly enjoyable to watch." He crossed his arms, his expression changing from something akin to hunger to become unreadable.

Erza looked up at him, barely able to move. She scowled angrily, her armour in disarray. She tried to control her beating heart, to reduce the rush of adrenaline. Once more, her emotions were getting the better of her. So this was the Great Tree Arc. It was going to be tough to defeat, if she was capable at all. It didn't seem likely, but then, she had managed to land a few blows. Perhaps it wasn't impossible. No. It couldn't be impossible. She had to win.

She forced herself to stand, straight and tall. She inhibited herself the barest shudder or tremble, loathe to show any sign of weakness. She cleared her throat. It seems like you're not just all talk, either," she conceded. Not that she had had many doubts about his power since their fight had begun. Still, he wasn't incredibly smart.

"Your strength seems to be your asset," she commented. He straightened with pride at what he perceived to be a compliment. Erza almost sighed. Intelligent he was not. Or perhaps it was his pride and selfishness that made him incapable of identifying her subtle insult.

He cocked his head at her. His eyes shadowed as he studied her again. "So...will you fight seriously now?"

Erza set her jaw. Seriously? She had to win. It didn't matter how she fought. So she said all that she could to answer his question.

"You don't have enough power to stop me."


End file.
